WILLIAM WATSON LODGE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Annual Meeting William Watson Lodge Society Open house and annual general meeting. At William Watson Lodge Saturday, June 25, 2011 10:00 AM Lunch Provided Please Join Us Contact Us William Watson Lodge Society Box 30344 Chinook Postal Outlet 6455 MacLeod Trail SE Calgary, AB T2H 2W1 Website: www.williamwatsonlodgesociety.com Email: wwlodgesociety@shaw.ca For More Information William Watson Lodge 1(403)591-7227 Brochure Peter Lougheed Visitor Information Centre (Toll free) 310-0000 then (403) 591-6322 Kananaskis Park Website www.parks.gov.ab.ca/kananaskis The WWLodge Society welcomes your comments and active participation which help to achieve the objectives of William Watson Lodge. Society Mandate To raise funds that will be used to enhance the use of the Lodge for the benefit and enjoyment of disabled and senior citizens of Alberta. Gifts Your membership and donations as well as bequests or legacies are gratefully received and appreciated. Volunteers Camp Hosts During the camping season you may wish to volunteer as a camp host for two weeks. The WWL front desk will provide the duties of a host upon arrival. There are thirteen fully serviced sites; one is set aside for the host. Ross Watson selects hosts. Accommodations Reservations Cabins RV Site Main Lodge Day Use Call (Rite) toll free 310-0000, then 403-591-7227 ONLY William Watson Lodge staff make reservations. 2
Cabin Dedication: Leona Liesemer Leona Liesemer was born in Olds, Alberta, in 1907. She contracted polio at the age of 17 and was left severely handicapped, but through sheer determination overcame her limitations and difficulties to lead a full and productive life. She was married to Melvin Liesemer in 1930. In 1942 the Liesemer s came to Calgary where Leona lived for the remainder of her life. The idea of a social club for the handicapped originated with Leona in 1984. From this nucleus the Rehabilitation Society of Calgary for the Handicapped grew. It became an important part of the lives of many handicapped persons and of the volunteers who wanted to help. Her name appears on the plaque commemorating pioneer members of the Society and on the twenty-fifth Anniversary Honour Roll of the Society. She sat on the committee that compiled the book on the history of the Society titled Twenty-five Years Proud. She was a particularly dedicated, supportive, and faithful member of the Society over the years and highly regarded by all who knew her. Leona Liesemer died in 1986. She was predeceased by her husband and is survived by a son Wayne and a daughter Myrtle, both of Calgary. President s Message The William Watson Lodge is a unique place but without the donations from our members we would be unable to provide the special equipment our guests require to have a wonderful experience at the Lodge. For this we thank you. With the improvement of the pathways and roads this spring the lodge has a fresh look. I hope you have been on the Interpretive Trail or will be able to in the near future. Thanks go to the wonderful Staff and the members of the Society. Help! The treasurer s position is open this year, and we want to hear from anyone who would let their name stand for nomination for this or other positions on our Board. Please call me at 403-938-4396 or email me at foxd@telus.net From all of us we wish you health and happiness in 2011. Donna Fox A Special Thank You to Our Donors Many people and organizations, and membership, support the work of the William Watson Lodge Society with financial gifts, membership fees, voluntary service and in-kind material and supplies. You made it possible for us to again receive a grant from Community Spirit and Culture Department, Government of Alberta. The grant will allow us to obtain a new DVD, develop a Society web site, publish brochures of the society, purchase display items to take to community shows for our publicity campaign. The William Watson Lodge Society congratulate and commend the Lodge and Parks staff for their tremendous dedication and delivery of service to the many people who use and visit the Lodge. 3
JANUARY 2 011 ISSUE 17 President Vice President Grants/Casino/Catering Past President Ambassador/Catering Treasurer Secretary Grants/Casino/Catering Membership/Receipts Newsletter WW Lodge Society Board of s Grants/Casino Newsletter/Catering Promotions/Casino/Grants Manager William Watson Lodge WW Lodge Staff Resource Associate Donna Fox Sheila Power Maureen Wills Dick Closson Luanne Whitmarsh Cathy Holling Terry Garvin Wendy Morin Enid Pettifer Val Scholefield Technical Resources WW Lodge Staff Resource Associate Ross Watson Gwen Ross-Cieslak Patti Johnston Did You Know? That the cabin fire extinguishers are checked every month to make sure they are in good working order? If they have been tampered with they are replaced. Did You Know? A PULK, recently acquired to be used at William Watson Lodge, is a small toboggan-like sled that can be pulled by a person on skis, or by dog, or by a person walking. The WWLodge model accommodates young children. Financial Statements As of 15/11/2010 assets Cash on Hand $73,946.41 Other Assets 390.00 Investments 20,000.00 Accounts Payable (1,467.50) Total Net Worth $92,868.91 Revenue Casino Income $3,320.00 Donations 26,106.97 Government Grants 13,885.60 Memberships 2,710.00 Interest Income 669.38 Total Income $46,691.95 Expenses Insurance $578.00 Office & Professional 2,189.04 Promotions 3,504.76 Travel 88.00 Volunteer Appreciation 856.81 Wm Watson Lodge Improvements 50,866.71 Total Expenses $58,083.32 Net Loss (11,391.37) Finance Con t We did not have a casino in this reporting period, our next casino is in 2011. Casino income is reported in the year proceeds are expensed. The $3,320.00 of reported casino income stems from the casino held in August 2008. The Society supplied the lodge with twenty chests of drawers to be placed in the cabins. We also purchased a bike trailer for the handicapped as well as seven additional interpretive programs to run over the winter. Dick Closson, Treasurer. 4
Cheers! The interpretive trail was completed in June 2010. It is a 500 meter wheelchair accessible trail linked to other trails. It has six interpretive signs. Hand held audio is available at the WWLodge front desk. Everybody welcome! Did You Know? The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in the Canadian Rockies. It eats carpenter ants that live in dying trees, fallen logs and stumps, as seen here. (ref. Ben Gad) Its loud drumming is heard in the area of WWLodge. Photo Terry Garvin. 2010 Wildlife Wildlife share their habitat with the people of WWLodge. These deer, in front of Cabin A, have been alerted to a pack of coyotes behind Cabin B. Photo: Gwen Ross-Cieslak November, 2010 5
Manager s Message Highlights Of The 2010 Operating Year The Lodge has had all the facility side walks replaced. Many guests seeking reservations called to learn the Lodge was closed for May and June for path construction. This was necessary because we needed the warmer days of June to pour the cement. Removal of the old pavement was done through the cooler days of May. We counted on June being warm enough for the cement to set up properly. Working seven days a week and long days the Lodge opened on schedule for the July long weekend. The new paths have grades that are easier for wheel chairs. A new path joining building F and G was added and we hope the problem of ice build up in many areas will have been addressed; we will see this winter. New electrical, cable and propane lines were installed. Although there is more to do at the Lodge, this was a major project and is an indication of the ministry of Tourism Parks and Recreation s commitment to the William Watson Lodge. I take this opportunity to thank you, the members of the William Watson Lodge Society, for your support. Through your donations and memberships combined with the dedication of the Societies directors the Lodge is steadily making improvements. This year the Society will replace all picnic tables on site with new accessible aluminum tables. Twenty new dressers have been put in those cabins that previously didn t have dressers, and new accessible bike trailer and ski pulks have been purchased. Myself and the Lodge staff are looking forward to seeing you in 2011. Ross Watson 6
NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2011 ISSUE 17 Appreciation November 21, 1998 was a black day for our family because our son Danny was almost killed in a motorcycle-truck crash on the outskirts of Bogota, Columbia while on a trip of a lifetime to Chile, South America. He was a healthy 21-year-old who enjoyed soccer, mountain hiking, kayaking, fishing, and cycling; our family did not even have a family doctor. After more than three weeks in the Simon Bolivar Hospital, doctors gave permission to take an air ambulance flight to Edmonton to be admitted to the University of Alberta Hospital. Months of intensive care, a stint in long-term care facility, and then a year at the brain injury unit in Ponoka slowly passed. He escaped from the hospital system on August 4, 2000 to live at home. The next summer, we enjoyed a week at William Watson Lodge for the first of our annual visits. For our family, the Lodge became a place of respite. For Danny, it became a wilderness setting to explore in his power chair and later with his double bicycle. Since then our family realized that nothing improved Danny s life more than enjoying nature. From the Lodge he explored Kananaskis and attended several events including the Alberta Parks Push to Open events using TrailRiders and double kayaks. With the efforts of the many Albertans with a disability and their support teams, our AALS (www.aals.ca) hopes that more family-oriented accessible lodges will be built in Alberta. Danny is a keen supporter of this goal while he continues to enjoy and promote William Watson Lodge. This presentation by Ross W. Wein, President, Alberta Abilities Lodges Society Danny Wein a promoter of William Watson Lodge and his sister Laurie explore Kananaskis and the accessible trails around William Watson Lodge with Danny s double bicycle.